13 Bangkok hotels with mesmerising river views

Historically speaking, rivers provide fresh water and trading routes, allowing their residents to settle near the banks and set up infrastructure. These days, they’re more like cultural emblems, synonymous with the cities they run through – and very much destinations in their own right.

When it comes to spellbinding riverscapes, no river does it better than the Chao Phraya: the serpentine waterway that twists through the busiest neighbourhoods of Bangkok and is flanked by golden temples, grand palaces and sprawling shopping centres. Ahead, we round up 13 hotels with the best riverside location for a slice of authentic Thai life.